Trevor Lawrence goes No. 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence was selected No. 1 overall Thursday night in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is now in the books with Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence taken as the overall No. 1 selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars. When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called Lawrence’s name, a sold out draft party of 8,000 began to celebrate inside TIAA Bank Field. It was a celebration that carried well into the night. Lawrence, who chose not to attend the NFL Draft Day in Cleveland, celebrated his selection at home with family and friends. The guests included Clemson coach Dabo Swinney along with adamant South Carolina Gamecocks fan and musician Darius Rucker with the latter raising eyebrows among Clemson fans on social media.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Darius Rucker enjoy the draft party in the Lawrence home.

The country music star is a partner in the MGC sports marketing agency that recently signed Lawrence. So Rucker was there to celebrate with his most high-profile client. At 6'6", 215, Lawrence -- who won a pair of state titles with Cartersville High School -- becomes Bartow County’s third top-10 pick since 2005. Ronnie Brown and Vic Beasley Jr. were also top selections. Lawrence becomes the fourth quarterback drafted by Jacksonville in the first round during the Jaguars’ 27 year history. The Jags also selected Byron Leftwich in 2003, Blaine Gabbert in 2011, and Blake Bortles in 2014.

Lawrence, with family and friends, enjoying the announcement of his selection on ESPN.

Since Lawrence is expected to be the starter from Day 1 moving forward, he will join a list of Jags starters that have included the other three first rounders, Gardner Minshew, Mike Glennon, Nick Foles, Chad Henne, Luke McCown, David Garrard, Mark Brunell, Rob Johnson, and Steve Beuerlein among others as Jacksonville starting quarterbacks.

The former Purple Hurricane had an impressive collegiate career at Clemson. He was 34-2 as the starter, winning three Atlantic Coast Conference championships and the 2018 national title. He passed for over 10,000 yards and 90 touchdowns and ran for 18 scores.

Lawrence joins new Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who just bought a new home on the same street as his former Florida Gators quarterback, Tim Tebow. Meyer, who is leaving the more comfortable setting of the broadcast booth, will try to bring his success as a college coach to the professional level. The selection of Lawrence was highly anticipated and expected, but there were a few surprises in the first round. After two more quarterbacks — Zach Wilson of Brigham Young and Trey Lance on North Dakota State — went to the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers as expected, the Atlanta Falcons chose Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts — at No. 4 overall — became the highest-selected tight end in NFL draft history. Surprises continued as three trades took place during the first day of the draft. Quarterback Justin Fields fell out of the top ten, but the Chicago Bears traded two picks to move up and take the Marietta, Ga. native 11th overall. The Cowboys traded with division rival Philadelphia enabling the Eagles to select Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith as the 10th overall choice. The Cowboys landed linebacker Micah Parsons (Penn State) with the 12th overall pick. The New England Patriots picked up Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the first round and the Jaguars added standout running back Travis Etienne — a Lawrence teammate at Clemson — with the 25th overall pick in the first round. Thursday night also tied the 1999 mark for the most offensive skill players taken in the first round with thirteen. In 1999, the draft also started with three straight quarterback selections — Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, and Akili Smith. Here’s a complete listing of first round selections: 1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB 2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB 3. San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance, QB 4. Atlanta Falcons, Kyle Pitts, TE 5. Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR 6. Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle, WR 7. Detroit Lions, Penei Sewell, OL 8. Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB 9. Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB 10. Philadelphia Eagles: DeVonta Smith, WR 11. Chicago Bears: Justin Fields, QB 12. Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons, LB 13. Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT 14. New York Jets: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G 15. New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB 16. Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB 17. Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OT 18. Miami Dolphins, Jaelan Phillips, DL 19. Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB 20. New York Giants: Kadarius Toney, WR 21. Indianapolis Colts, Kwity Paye, DL 22. Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB 23. Minnesota Vikings: Christian Darrisaw, OT 24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB 25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Etienne, RB 26. Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB 27. Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR 28. New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE 29. Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB 30. Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL 31. Baltimore Ravens: Jayson Oweh, DL 32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, DL Rounds 2 and 3 will be Friday night starting at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-7 begin at 12 noon Saturday.